Phosphoros: Passage of Time

Now that I’ve revealed the true nature of my project, Phosphoros: The First Paladin, it’s time to talk about features! Who doesn’t love feature previews!

Time is an important element of gameplay. Eschewing the traditional forms of magical healing, like spells and elixirs, the characters in Phosphoros become fatigued as they exert themselves, and must rest to recover their health.

Additionally as the characters travel from one location to another, the hours pass and day eventually gives way to night. Given the heat and light of the day, a full night’s rest is only possible at night, and few merchants or other non-player characters are available during the evening hours. The colors of the world change with the daylight.

Lose sleep in the game, and out.

Beyond the obvious causes and consequences of passing time – travel, rest, and shop access – events in the world will occur periodically whether the player is there to witness them or not. Both unique and recurring events will be triggered by the passage of time, such as the arrival or departure of key NPCs.

Suggested in one of my previous feature posts, monster populations will grow over time, necessitating player intervention in order to keep them from growing out of control. If left unaddressed, the region may become overrun, and characters will pack up and leave!

In another feature that has yet to be disclosed – enemies driven from an area conquered by the player characters may eventually return with reinforcements to reclaim their fallen lands, forcing the player to return and reassert their dominance.